The Greengrass Inconvenience
by Hairy Horklump
Summary: Astoria Greengrass has an overprotective older brother, a matchmaking mother and a Draco Malfoy. Along comes a hunt for a serial killer, just to add to the chaos. Genre has been changed.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N) I own nothing. Of course. Except maybe Cadmus and Selene and a couple of other people you'll be meeting later on. But then again, I don't even really own them anyway. **

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"So you see, Malfoy, don't you?" said Cadmus Greengrass, leaning in to fix his gaze on the younger man. "She's just not mature enough. I need you to be at her side at all times, do you understand?"

Draco Malfoy rolled his eyes. "You needn't tell me, Cadmus. Our families have been friends for generations. It would have been beneath me to leave her at the mercy of the Italians."

The oak-panelled study they were sitting in was majestic in both size and decor. With lush dark green carpeting and oak and mahogany furniture and a colossal desk in the pride of place, it made quite an impression on any visitors. This, coincidentally, happened to be the exact effect Hyllus Greengrass had planned on creating when building Green Court, the family home. Although fiercely proud of their lineage and their links to both Ravenclaw and Slytherin houses, the younger Greengrasses had tried to remain low during the war. Their father had been a follower of Voldemort from the start and had entered into battle. Hyperion, his eldest son, who had been fighting for the other side, had died trying to protect his father and had left behind a young widow and baby daughter.

"It's not so much about leaving her at the mercy of the Italian wizards." said Cadmus. "Mother has sheltered her too much. She does not understand that your family and ours have come under a lot of scrutiny in the past five years; that we face taunts and discrimination wherever we go.

"She needs to face reality, Malfoy, which is why I have agreed to let her go on this trip. But the fact remains that she is my little sister, and I would certainly not want her sitting in some foreign country on her own, being judged wherever she goes. You will be in enough danger as it is. I need to someone is there to take care of her."

Draco huffed. "Look here, Cadmus. I'm perfectly happy to help you out and make sure that she's alright, but she is twenty one years old. She's only just over a year younger than me. She's no child and _I'm_ no nanny."

"I'm perfectly aware how old my sister is, thank you. As I am of what your occupations are. I just need your assurance that she will be safe from all manner of danger whilst you are away. I am the head of my family, Malfoy, since the Dark Lord took my father and brother with him," said Cadmus bitterly. "We may be in the twenty-first century, but as an unmarried woman her well-being is still my responsibility, and I treat it seriously."

"Of course," said Draco. "Of course, I understand."

"You will, then?"

"There was never really a doubt about it was there?" Draco smirked. "I'm honoured you asked me. I know how much you care for your sisters and their safety."

"You're one of the few men I would dream of asking," said Cadmus, rising from his seat and offering his hand to Draco to be shaken. "It is settled then. I appreciate it, Malfoy."

"It's Draco, Cadmus." said Draco, shaking his hand. "Nothing else has changed in the past five years, has it? We've still known each other since birth."

"That may be, Draco," Cadmus smiled gently. "But things have changed. _I_ shouldn't ever have become the head of the family, that should have been Hyperion, and neither of us should have had to do it so young."

"The scars of war never really go away." Draco muttered. The two men slowly made their way towards the fireplace.

"That's true enough. Your cousin was killed, was she not? I believe she left behind a very young son, not much younger than Selene was when Hyperion died."

Draco nodded. "Teddy. The name leaves something to be desired, but he's single-handedly been pulling the family together. Mother fell in love with him on first sight and her relationship with her sister is almost back to normal."

"Children are wonderful that way," Cadmus agreed, indicating to a photograph of the Greengrass clan on the wall. At the front of the photograph a small girl sat on a elderly woman's lap, grinning widely at the camera. "If it weren't for Selene, I don't know whether Thea or Mother would have ever fully recovered from Hyperion's death."

As they approached the fireplace, Cadmus turned to his old friend again and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I can't thank you enough, Draco. You know how headstrong and naive Astoria is; she insisted on going on this conference and I wasn't about stop her like Father would have. She needs to have a life outside our walls, but that doesn't stop me worrying. I need to make sure she's alright, I don't think this family could handle more loss."

Draco nodded. "Of course, Cadmus. I understand. I know you would do the same for me, if I had a sister."

Cadmus picked up a small gilt jar from the mantle-piece and offered the Floo power in it to Draco. "Oh, and Draco?" he added, smiling as the latter stepped into the fireplace. "If you could keep her from any Casanovas prowling around, that would be much appreciated."

Draco laughed. "I will try, but I somehow doubt _she's_ going to appreciate it." He tucked his robes around his ankles and raised his arm. "Malfoy Manor!"

Cadmus watched as the inferno of green flames leapt up. With a satisfied smile on his face, he turned around. That had gone quite satisfactorily. _Now comes the bigger problem_, he thought.

"Gerty?" he called. There was a sharp crack and small house-elf swaddled in a dish cloth appeared before him.

"Yes, Master Cadmus?" said Gerty.

"I want you to fetch my sister, please Gerty."

"Miss Daphne or Miss Astoria, sir?" she squeaked.

"Astoria. Be sure to tell her it's a matter of great urgency, won't you?"

Gerty disappeared with a crack.

He settled back into his chair at his table and went to the perusing through the Daily Prophet, as he had been doing before Malfoy had turned up.

"Master Cadmus?" He looked up. Gerty was back, looking decidedly nervous. "Master Cadmus, Miss Astoria says to tell you that if this is in regard to another marriage proposal, she is not interested. If Master Cadmus, er, pesters Miss Astoria again this month, sir," Gerty wrung her hands. "Miss Astoria says she'll turn to having _girlfriends_ instead!" At this the house-elf clamped her hands over her large ears and rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. "I is sorry, sir! Gerty was only telling Master Cadmus what Miss Astoria said!"

"Don't worry yourself, Gerty," Cadmus sighed. He rested his elbows on his table and dragged his palms over his face. "She doesn't mean it. She's been trying to stir up trouble since she could walk. Where is she?"

She was in the Garden, he was told, playing with her niece. The gardens of Green Court were a source of pride to that family that owned it and jealousy to those that did not. Comprising of a large maze, a rose garden, a glass house and a huge water structure as its main features, it was the focal point of the house and was the venue for most of the parties hosted by the family. At the centre was the Garden, a vast expanse of lawn where a girl was running around, trying to hit an enchanted softball with a Beater's bat. A young woman was laughing and running after her with an identical bat. As she saw her brother approaching, she stopped and waved him over.

"Cad," she called. "Join us!"

He rolled his eyes in response, but couldn't help smiling at the spectacle they were creating. At least there was no one here to witness this, he though wryly. Astoria Greengrass, despite being only two years younger than her sister Daphne, was nothing like her in personality or appearance. With dark brown locks that fell to just below her shoulders and eyes that were more black than brown, she was certainly more striking looking, if not considered a beauty in the traditional sense.

As the head of his family, having an unmarried sister of marriageable age was proving to be an unprecedented headache for Cadmus.

"Astoria, really," he sighed as he came closer. "Is this wise? Must I remind you of the example you set to Selene?"

At the sound of her name, Selene threw herself at him and raised her arms. "Uncle!" she grinned.

Cadmus smiled and hoisted her into the air. "Selene, you're getting bigger every time I see you."

"I drink my pumpkin juice every day," she replied, nodding.

"I can tell!" he said, placing her back on her feet. "Now, would you mind if I borrowed your aunt from you for a few moments?"

Selene shook her head. "I can play by myself, but you'll come back soon, won't you Auntie Tori?" Astoria nodded and that being confirmation enough, Selene took off down the garden with her bat.

"Auntie Tori?" said Cadmus, cocking an eyebrow. "This is new."

"She's five and I'm only twenty one Aunt Astoria makes me sound so old, and besides, what's wrong with Tori?" Astoria linked an arm through her brother's as they made their way towards the rose garden. "It's a perfectly good name."

"As is Astoria, but I'll not enter into that discussion with you."

"Why not?" she asked, eyes twinkling.

"I have more pressing things to discuss with you."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, Cadmus, really. I've told you and I've told Mother. If I get married, it will be on my _own_ terms and to whom I please. I refuse to marry an ape like Terence; Merlin only knows what was going through Daphne's mind." She shuddered.

"Astoria, you will not talk about our brother-in-law in that manner." said Cadmus firmly, although the corner if his lip twitched slightly. "He is a good man, and they are good match."

"But _seriously_," she cried now, stopping. "This isn't the eighteen century. I'm not saying that I'll never get married, that will just give Mother a hernia, but I _can't_, Cad, not yet."

"Truth be told," said her brother, starting to walk again. "This isn't what I came to talk to you about. That trial you wanted to go to?"

"The Ernetti murder trial? What about it?"

"I really do think that you should go." he said. "I know that I was against it at first, but I really had no right to stop you and-" he was cut off here by his sister throwing her arms around him.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she mumbled, squeezing him.

"Astoria," he laughed uncomfortably. "I had no right to stop you in the first place. Malfoy's right, you're a grown woman-"

"Malfoy?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. "What did he want?"

"He was here."

"Why?" her eyes narrowed further.

"I asked him to come."

"Well, he wouldn't turn up uninvited, Cadmus, even _he's_ not that obnoxious." she huffed. "Stop evading the question."

"He's coming with you." said Cadmus, bracing himself.

"Well, yes, I knew that," she replied brusquely.

"No, I mean," he hesitated slightly. "Look, Astoria. I know you're not going to take to this too kindly, but I _implore_ you, try to see this from my point of view."

"Take to what too kindly, Cadmus?" she asked.

"I have asked him to accompany you."

"But he was coming anyway; he is in the same department as me after all. We were all invited to attend the trial in Venice."

Cadmus winced slightly. She still hadn't understood. "No, you misunderstand. I've asked him to accompany you."

She froze. "You've asked him to be my bodyguard, is that it?" she growled. "Little naïve Astoria needs protection because she doesn't know what's out there in the big bad world? Never mind that she _works_ in Magical Law Enforcement and comes into contact with criminals _every_ day, the poor child still can't handle herself?"

"No, it's not like that." Cadmus could feel the mother of all arguments brewing.

"Then what is it like, Cadmus?" she snapped. "Please, enlighten me."

"I don't want anything to happen to you." he muttered weakly.

"And what do you suppose can happen to me in a week in Venice? I'm not going to fall into a canal, Cad."

"I know that," he sighed. "Please, believe me. It's not that I don't think you can look after yourself. I know you can. Don't look at me like that; I have full faith in you. I just want to make sure that if anything does go wrong, you are safe."

"Fine." she snapped after a minute of silence.

"What?"

"Fine. I'll cooperate, on one condition. You and mother will back off when it comes to marriage. Deal?" she stuck out her hand. She wasn't amused. How dare he make decisions for her and send annoying, immature young men to act as her chaperone?

"Come now, Astoria-"

"Deal?" she repeated, more firmly this time.

He sighed loudly, before grasping her hand in his. "Yes. Fine. Deal."

"Good," said Astoria. "I'll be off then. _I_ made a promise to my niece." She gave him a pointed look and a curt nod before removing her hand and going back the way they had come.

Cadmus groaned. Something told him that this wouldn't be the end to the problems his youngest sister would cause him. And it wouldn't. By a long chalk.

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**Thoughts, please?**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N) Voila! Chapter two. It's much shorter than what I would usually feel comfortable posting, but I promise you the next chapter (i.e. part II of this one) will be up sometime next week! Thanks for all the favourites and story alerts! But please review? Please? **

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She was well aware of the clacking noise her shoes made as she walked down the corridor and she winced. Drawing attention to herself was not on her agenda for today that was for sure. She was in a state; she had woken up so late, she hadn't even bothered sorting her hair out. Her hand drifted up to it subconsciously and her fingers combed through the curls roughly. _Oh, bum_. This was the last time she fell asleep during breakfast. _Oh, bum, bum, bum_. She skidded to a halt outside the large door and muttered a prayer of thanks to a higher power that the heels she had strapped to her feet hadn't caused her to break her neck.

"Bit late, love, aren't you?" Astoria looked up. The brass knocker on the door regarded her with disapproval.

"Sorry, Gilbert," she said, rolling her eyes. Gilbert tutted.

"The meeting started five minutes ago."

"I know. I overslept and I didn't realise they'd changed the time until the Ministry owl pecked me half to death." She adjusted her robes around her and smoothed down her hair. "Can I go in now?"

Gilbert sighed loudly. "Fine." he cleared his throat. "Astoria Greengrass, please answer the three following questions correctly to prove your identity. Please state your middle name, mother's maiden name and the form of your Patronus."

"Gilbert, you _know_ I'm late!"

"Protocol is protocol, Miss Greengrass, and is there for a reason."

"Rosamunde. My mother's maiden name was Marguerite Boot and my Patronus takes the form of an owl." she huffed. "Now can I _please_ go in? Before I lose my job?"

The knocker glared at her and muttered something about audacity of youth that she didn't quite catch, but nevertheless swung open the door to let her in.

"Thank you," she said.

"-carry on without her! She's not going to contribute much to the discussion anyway, is she?" _Brilliant_, she thought. _Another hour of Andrew Davis._

"She's as much a part of the team as you are, Davis! Now shut the hell up and sit the _hell_ down. She'll be here in a minute." a woman snapped.

"Oh, you _would_ stick up for her, wouldn't you?"

"Will the two of you please stop harping at each other? Honestly, to think Dawlish had the utter stupidity to assign you as _partners_! Do us all a favour and act like professionals." _Ogden's not happy, something's happened_. Theseus Ogden tended to be the calmest, most level-headed wizard she knew. Normally, that was.

Deciding to make herself known, Astoria stepped to into the room. Six faces turned up to look at her. There was Draco Malfoy, resting his chin on his fist, looking decidedly bored. Anthony Montague sat beside him and nodded in her direction. She hadn't seen him for a couple of months, she realised. After his cupboard fiasco back at Hogwarts, he'd become a Hit Wizard; his NEWTs hadn't counted towards much else, much to the chagrin of his parents. Next to him sat Edmund Cawthorne and Theseus Ogden, Hit Wizard and the leader of the team respectively. They both looked quite relieved that she'd turned up.

"Astoria." drawled Andrew Davis. "Thank you for gracing us with your prescense."

"Pleasure." she snapped, dropping into the seat next to the only other witch at the table. "Sorry I'm late." she offered to Ogden sheepishly. A vein in his jaw twitched, but he nodded.

"We're just glad to see you're safe."

"There have been some new developments." the witch next to her explained. Allegra Gray had just finished her Auror training and had been assigned to the case.

"Like what?"

"Two more bodies." Montague pulled out two black and white snapshots of a man and woman, both obviously dead. On their foreheads someone had inked the image of a snake entwined around a sword. Astoria felt as if someone had punched her. "Exactly."

"Who are they?" she asked, passing them back.

Malfoy straightened up. "Etienne and Lousie Delacour. They were found in an alleyway in Dijon this morning, while they were holidaying there."

"Delacour-?"

"Fleur Weasley's uncle and aunt, yes. And before you ask, she was a Muggle-born."

Astoria leant back in her chair and tilted her head back. "Bugger."

"Indeed." Cawthorne nodded.

She groaned. It had started five months ago, when the bodies of a recently married couple were found in a small yacht off the coast of Devon. Gianna Ricardi was a Pure-blood witch, born and raised in Italy and had moved to England with her family after the end of the war, when her family had faced persecution in Rome. She and her Muggle husband had been found with an inked snake and sword on their foreheads, sparking investigations across Europe.

In the space of three months, fifteen others had died in the same way, from Calais, Berne, Salzburg and Copenhagen; a killing curse and a similar tattoo on their foreheads. Two months ago, Gianna's older brother, Lorenzo, had been arrested for the murders of his sister, brother-in-law and the fifteen strangers and had been taken to Venice, the city of his birth, to await trial as the law demanded. The murders had stopped.

As typical murders went, this was an astonishingly easy conclusion, but in this case it had seemed to be justified. Medi-witches observing Ricardi had all come to the same conclusion, albeit in different ways. He was a madman, obsessed with blood purity from a young age and had reached breaking point when his sister, whom he had felt he had raised, had married a Muggle. The case had been deemed solved, and as it had been a particularly disturbing, everyone involved had been thankful for it.

"And Ricardi?" she asked.

"He's still safely in custody. Is he even the right man, sir?" Malfoy asked Ogden. "What if it's always been this second person and Ricardi confessed so that he could take the credit, so that it would be linked to his 'cause', whatever the hell it is?"

"Who in their right mind would want to receive the Kiss as punishment, Malfoy?" Davis said. "One could even suggest that this second person had nothing to do with the first few murders but decided to continue Ricardi's work."

"That's my point, Davis. He _isn't_ in his right mind."

Ogden rested his forehead and rubbed the pads of his fingers in small circles.

"The point being, Astoria, that this isn't just a holiday to Venice to witness a trial anymore." said Allegra. "It's an investigation again."

"We're still going to Venice though," said Edmund, twinkling his blue eyes at her. "So that's good."

Malfoy snorted. "It is not good, you imbecile. Some madman is out on the loose, killing innocent people. It's hard enough trying to stay safe in London, despite the population and the sheer size of the city. What, exactly, do you propose we do in Venice, which is predominantly Muggle and is about the size of Diagon Alley?"

Cawthorne frowned. "You're not very nice, Malfoy, are you?"

"And you're a waste of oxygen," he snapped.

"Oh for Merlin's, Draco. Pack it in; we're all stressed." said Montague. "Davis, you and Gray need to sort out the statements for the press releases. Are you going to tell them the truth?"

Davis nodded. "We're going to have to. I'd rather not cause panic, but if it means people will be more cautious, it's a small price to pay." Allegra nodded. "I've prepare the press release already, I'll give it to Skeeter this afternoon."

Ogden straightened up. "Right, Greengrass and Malfoy: research. I want a new database of every potential suspect there is. And I mean a new one. Repeat names if you must, but I want to see some new ones there. Montague and Cawthorne, you go to France and follow up any leads you can. There's a Portkey leaving the International Magical Cooperation Office at two to Paris. If you value your jobs, you'll be on it. And as for the two of you," he looked at Allegra and Davis. "Anyone who can handle Rita Skeeter deserves an Order of Merlin, so good luck."

The six of them stood up and began to collect their papers together.

"Oh," said Ogden. "the Portkey to Italy will be in three days time, I'll owl all of you with the details. That means that the two of you," he indicated to Astoria and Malfoy, "need to have the list ready for me by then."

Astoria groaned. _Brilliant._ Overtime with Malfoy over the weekend: just what she needed_.__ Idiot._

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_**Pathetically short but important. Please, please review? If you can take the time to sign in (and heck, you don't even have to) and click the Story Alerts and Favourites buttons, surely you can review? Cheers :)**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter 3, as promised. Bit later than promised, so sorry. I hope you enjoy it!**

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_Ugh, sunshine_.

Mother had insisted that Gerty pulled open her curtains every morning at seven, eight on weekends. Astoria didn't like it one bit. She tumbled out of bed and staggered over to her bureau, feeling around for her wand. Grasping it, she hitched up her Muggle pyjamas as she wandered over to the bathroom, yawning widely.

"That's a wonderful look for you." a voice drawled behind her.

"_Bloody_ Merlin!" she yelled, clutching her heart and brandishing her wand. Draco Malfoy was sprawled across her couch with a stack of files and a wide grin. "What in the name of Morgana's mouldy knickers are you doing in my room?"

He stretched his arms around him. He looked tired, she realised. His hair was messier than usual and that made it look darker. Despite the bags under his eyes, she still had to admit he looked quite good. That didn't mean she liked him, however.

"Does your mother know you use language like that? It's not very ladylike, is it?" Draco tutted.

"Oh, and I suppose that it's perfectly alright to accost a lady in her bedroom?" she snarled.

"If you want me to accost you in your bedroom, Astoria, I'll be perfectly willing to." Draco drawled, waggling his eyebrows at her.

She rolled her eyes. "You are too disgusting for words. Just what are you doing here Malfoy?"

"You asked me to come over, remember?" he waved the files at her.

"To my home, yes. I never invited you into my _room_ to watch me sleep!"

"You never said not to, either," he shrugged.

"_Were_ you watching me sleep?"

He scoffed. "Oh yes. You looked so beautiful sleeping with your mouth open and snorting. I'm head over heels for you, I truly am."

"Oh, shut up, twit."

He laughed. "You really are charming, Greengrass."

"Thank you," she said, continuing towards the bathroom.. "Now would you mind waiting in the library for me? You can take my files down for me while you're at it."

"Manners, Greengrass." he shook his finger at her.

"Always, Malfoy." Astoria nodded. "In _polite_ company."

The last thing she saw before she shut the bathroom door behind her was Malfoy waving and telling her to have a pleasant bowel movement, in those words.

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"There she is," Mother smiled. Of course. She should have known Mother would have sunk her claws into Malfoy the moment she clapped eyes on him that morning. He was a pureblood bachelor of the perfect age to marry her wayward daughter.

"Good morning, Mother." she said, kissing her cheek.

"Say hello to Draco, dear. Don't be rude."

"Hello, Malfoy," she mumbled. He nodded in greeting, smirking.

"You look quite charming this morning, dear," said Marguerite pointedly, eyes flicking over to Malfoy to see his reaction.

"Thank you, Mother." Astoria cringed.

Marguerite sighed, patting Astoria on the cheek. "Such a pretty girl. She would have done so well in Slytherin. Not that Ravenclaw isn't a noble house, by any means." she added quickly. "Why, many witches and wizards from my own family were sorted into Ravenclaw and did very well. But Slytherin is so much more _refined_, do you not think so?" She reached for Astoria's hair and smoothed it down, sighing again. "Yes, my dear, you would have done well in Slytherin."

There was an awkward pause. Draco cleared his throat.

"Well," he said.

Astoria latched onto his opening with both hands. "Well, we'd best be getting on, Mother."

"Oh? Yes, yes, I'm sorry, darling. I'm sure you're very busy. I'll ask Gerty to send up some breakfast, shall I?"

"That would be wonderful, Mrs Greengrass," said Draco.

"What would like, Draco?"

"I would love some toast."

"I'll ask Fletchly to make some French toast and some fruit salad." She smiled indulgently at him as she closed the library door softy behind her. Astoria dropped into the seat her mother had just vacated and adjusted her robes slightly.

"I only meant regular toast," Draco looked at Astoria sheepishly.

"Don't worry yourself," she shrugged. "_You'd_ get away with murder in this house."

He laughed. "All mothers love me."

"I'm glad of that, Malfoy, otherwise no-one would. Why exactly were we pretending we hadn't seen each other?"

"I was in your room. I don't think either your mother or Cadmus would have been too happy about that."

"I would have been happy if Cad had found out," she said, opening the fattest folder and pulling out a spare piece of parchment.

"He would have killed me,"

"And that's why," she laughed.

"Funny, Greengrass."

"I thought it was," she grinned. "Why exactly were you in my room?"

"I was avoiding your mother, actually," Draco admitted sheepishly. "She comes on a bit strong sometimes."

"That was successful, obviously," Astoria glanced at him.

"Obviously," he said.

She smiled at him and shook her head slightly, as if to clear it. "Come on, we'd best make some headway with this before you get distracted by Fletchly's cooking."

"True," he said, rifling through his notes. "Here we are." He pulled out one from the sheaf and passed it over to her. "I made a new list, with all the old suspects and every potential new one."

"That's good," she admitted. "It will be easier to eliminate rather than add to the list, especially considering it looks to be someone with Death Eater links, and every other family has gone underground."

"That's something I wanted to talk to you about actually." He pointed to the bottom half of one of the pieces of parchment. On it, in neat letters, was the name Cadmus Greengrass.

"Cad? He's on the suspect list?" She glared at him.

Draco raised his hands as if to surrender. "Ogden made me add him. I know as well as you do that it certainly isn't him."

"Then why is he on the list?" she demanded. "Both of us know that everyone whose name is on this list ends up having their Apparations tracked by the Hit Wizards. Cadmus has a high profile job and an extended family to look after."

"Emotional strain and trauma is not a valid reason for getting a name taken off this list," he snapped, starting to get annoyed. He didn't like having the names of one of his closest and oldest friends on the list either, but Ogden had insisted upon it. "Look here, I don't really like having his name on the list either."

"Well, that's easy for someone to say when they don't have a member of their family being stalked by the Ministry."

"I wouldn't know," he said, glancing up at her. "My parents' names are on it too."

_Oops._ "Damn," she gasped. "I'm sorry, Malfoy."

"I knew Father would be somewhere near the top, never mind the fact that he's practically bedridden now. But Mother; Mother's never done anything."

"I know," she said, "I'm sorry, I just assumed..."

"I know," he smiled. "It's alright,"

They sat in silence for a moment. Astoria fingered the brass clasp of her robes and Draco simply sat there, watching her. She felt eyes on her and raised an eyebrow.

"And the rest of the list, Malfoy? Or we just going to sit here while you stare me?"

He winked. "I wouldn't mind the latter."

She raised the other eyebrow. "Yes, I'm beautiful. I know, you told me."

"That I did," he said.

There was a soft gasp behind her, and she turned in horror to see her mother there clutching a plate of French toast and wearing a wide, hopeful smile.

_Oh sweet mother of Merlin._

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_

Three hours, two plates of breakfast, some fruit salad and a jug of pumpkin juice later, they found themselves coming to some sort of a conclusion.

Draco sat back on his chair, and ruffled his hair. "Finally," he sighed. He held up the new and improved list to the light and beamed. "What a beauty."

"Don't get too ahead of yourself," Astoria warned, eyeing his antics with mild disbelief.

"Excuse me? This is three hours worth of work."

"Yes, well, I was here for all three of those hours, but something's not quite right."

"Not quite right?" he yelped. "How could you say that?"

"Oh please, get a hold of yourself. I'm not insulting your firstborn child; I'm just saying that I have a bad feeling that we're missing something vital."

"I don't care if it's a gut feeling or female intuition, Greengrass," he said. "Unless you're bloody sure, I'm not changing this. We've been through everyone who was active in the war, absolutely everyone."

"Well, maybe it was someone who wasn't active in the war," she suggested.

He sighed. "My demented old father, who can't even remember which way up his wand goes, much less how to perform an Unforgivable, is on this list. So unless you're suggesting that I add Ernie Macmillian, Neville Longbottom or Benjy Nott, I'm not sure what you expect me to do."

"Who's Benjy Nott?" she asked.

"My 13 month old godson."

She saw his point. They'd trawled through every name they could think of, people who were suspected murderers, people who had recently been crossing borders in Europe on unofficial visits, and people who had taken part in any kind of unlawful activity in the past year. They had come up with a few new names, but Draco was right. Unless they started adding the names of the new Weasley babies, there really wasn't much else they could do.

The French, Swiss and Italian Ministries were handling the other murders, so it was really only on the behalf of Gianna Ricardi's English Muggle husband that they were carrying out this investigation. Besides, he had clearly only been murdered because of Gianna.

"You're right," she said.

His eyes twinkled and he cupped his ear with his hand. "Pardon me, dear lady, I didn't quite catch that."

She hit his arm. "I know you heard me and I'm not going to repeat myself." She got up off the chair and winced. "Oh, my aching bum."

He rolled his eyes and chuckled. "And your mother wonders why the proposals don't come pouring in."

She glared at him. It wasn't so much that she didn't want to get married eventually. It was just that her brain tended to be her forte, not her looks. She wanted her family to be proud of her for what she made for herself in other ways, not just for marrying a respectable wizard and having respectable children like Daphne. And as for being fairly cruder than her sister, that was just who she was, and any potential beau would have to take her like that. If he had a problem with her behaving like that, then she had a problem with him.

"Help me up," he said, lazily lifting an arm towards her. She showed him her middle finger and told him to bugger off, getting a bark of laughter for her troubles.

There was a sudden roar behind her as the fireplace glowed green and she yelped as Edmund Cawthrone tumbled out, covered in soot.

"Malfoy!" he cried. He scrambled to his feet and shook his head vigorously to get the soot out.

"Good lord, man, what happened?" Draco jumped to his feet.

"He's here," Cawthorne panted, looking at the two of them. "The murderer, I mean. He's here in England." he swayed slightly.

"What do you mean? What are you talking about?" Astoria asked, stepping up to steady him.

"There's been another murder this morning. In Diagon Alley, in broad daylight."

"Who?" asked Draco quietly.

"He was found by children shopping for their Hogwarts equipment." Cawthorne staggered towards a chair and dropped into it, releasing a shaky breath. "Montague and I were summoned from Rouen."

"_Who_?" Draco was going redder now, towering over Cawthrone as he stepped up to face him. To his credit, Astoria thought, Edmund wasn't fazed at all. He craned his neck up from his seat and pulled out a small photograph, but instead if handing it over, gripped it tightly.

"Do you remember Lavender Brown, Draco? I think she was in your year? She's Rita Skeeter's second in command now and she was on the scene in a few minutes. Before they could do anything with the body. She took this."

He handed it over, finally, but it was to Astoria, not Draco to whom he did so. More that slightly annoyed, he turned to look at the picture. The body on the ground was almost unrecognisable; its neck having been turned completely backward and there was a knife protruding out of his chest.

"Oh my," Astoria breathed. Draco put his hand in her shoulder and turned to look at Cawthrone.

"Who?" he whispered.

"He was found in one of the alleyways that branch off the main road. His name is Jason Ogden. He's Theseus Ogden's seventeen year old grandson."

Astoria shuddered slightly and ended up leaning on Draco for support, feeling him taking in deep, shaky breaths.

"It only gets worse." Cawthrone sighed, rising again. "There was a message on the road next to him, written in the boy's own blood."

"Who would do such a thing? To a _schoolboy_?" Astoria sank down onto the table, getting a worried look from her colleague.

He turned to Malfoy. "Turn it over; I've copied it onto the back."

Draco flipped it over, his heart plummeting at the message.

_Take this as a warning, my friends. Next, it's Grandfather. Unless another one of you crosses me first. _

"He knows that Theseus Ogden is on the team?" Draco demanded. "How?"

Cawthrone shrugged. "Who knows how but him? In any case, he left us a bloody list of all of our names."

"Why?"

"A hit list."

* * *

**Dun, dun, dun! Bit of a change in mood huh? I hope you enjoyed it! Please, please, please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's Chapter 4, I hope you enjoy it! **

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"No."

"Cad, this is absolute nonsense. I am going, whether you like it or not."

"On the contrary, young lady. You will do as Mother and I see fit, whether _you_ like it or not." He stood with his arms folded, towering over his sister. He had found out about the murder of the school boy. To keep the investigation under wraps, the writing had been cleared and witnesses _Obliviated_. It had been reported as a Muggle mugging and he hadn't thought to question it, until he had accompanied Astoria to the Floo point the next day.

"Cadmus, I have to. You must see that? This is my job, my career on the line, _everything_ I've worked towards."

His eyes flashed. "There is a murderer on the loose, Astoria. He has killed a child. A child! If you think that being a woman is going to grant you any reprieves here, then I'm afraid you're sorely mistaken."

"Is that how stupid you think I am?" she seethed.

"No, of course not. I don't think you're stupid at all. A little naïve, maybe."

"_Naïve_?" she hissed. She was just about to retort when a disruption in the form of a tall, blond wizard slapped her brother on the shoulder.

"How are things, Greengrasses all?" Draco smiled.

"Malfoy," the young witch smiled, remembering him. "Cad, Malfoy will be there, with two Aurors and two Hit Wizards. Really, I'll be safer in Italy than I will here."

Her brother considered this, but still looked unsure. "I see your point, Astoria," he admitted. "But I'm still not comfortable with this."

"What seems to be the problem?" Draco cocked an eyebrow.

"Cadmus just spoke to Cawthorne, and the idiot let slip that the murder in Diagon Alley had been committed by the wizard we supposedly had in custody," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Ah,"

"Yes, _ah_," Cadmus said, sighing. "Fine," he said, after a moment. "You may go. On some conditions, of course."

"I _may_ go?" A vein in her forehead throbbed. "You still don't understand, do you, my _darling_ brother? You seem to under the misapprehension that I was asking for your permission to go. I wasn't, let me assure you of that," she snapped at him.

"Nevertheless, you obey me."

Cadmus was really starting to piss her off now. She sighed, sweeping a few locks of hair off her face. The Portkey would be leaving soon and if she wasn't on it, Cadmus Astraeus Greengrass would have hell to pay. Draco seemed to realise this and stepped in.

"Cadmus, I will keep an eye on her," he said, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder.

Cadmus glanced at him and raised his eyebrows slightly, before sighing. "Astoria, you can go. Of course you can go. But I_ implore _you to remain vigilant. You will be in a foreign country, whereas this madman will probably know the place well. Please, just be safe." He looked at her pleadingly.

"Good," she snapped. Softening slightly, she moved into her brother's arms for a hug. "I'll be careful, Cadmus. I'm not a fool."

"I know that," he smiled down at her, surprised by the sudden display of affection. "I just worry, that's all."

"Try not to," she said firmly.

He smiled ruefully at her before checking his watch. "You'd best be getting on then, Astoria, Malfoy."

Draco nodded. Shaking Cadmus' hand, he said, "I'll look after her."

Astoria rolled her eyes. _Stupid men. Bugger 'em all._

_

* * *

_

She got up off ground slowly, brushing the dirt off her Muggle jeans. Mother may not look at it that way, but the one true blessing of Ravenclaw was her better understanding of Muggle culture and dress. It wouldn't do to go wandering around with robes on, Venice's Wizarding network was not as well established as London's. Besides, robes got in the way. Her colleagues, apparently, didn't agree.

"Urgh," groaned Allegra as she pulled herself up. Unlike Astoria, she had opted for a dress. "This is mortifying! Doesn't it go any longer than this?" She whispered to the only other witch as she tried to pull it further down her legs. "Mum might be Muggle-born, but she never thought to teach me how to wear Muggle clothes properly."

Astoria shrugged. "Maybe she felt you wouldn't need it."

"Right then, everyone here in one piece?" Cawthorne, who apparently was right at home in his slacks, hooded top and sandals, grinned at them all. "Yes? Good! Let's go!"

"If that man gets any more chipper I'll _Avada_ him myself, forget the murderer hunting us down," Malfoy bit out.

"Stupid little tosser," Davis agreed, his Scottish accent getting stronger as he got annoyed. "Doesn't have enough brains to fill a Snitch."

"Good looking though," giggled Allegra, winking at Astoria. Davis scowled.

"Now, now, children. Stop bickering. Cawthrone's gone and he happens to be the only one who knows where this bloody hotel is," Montague gestured to the bright pair of sandals that were disappearing around a corner. He began to follow him and the others reluctantly began to make their way through the alley.

"There are only three Wizarding hotels here, Montague, and the city itself is about the size of a Gobstone. I'm sure we could manage," Davis snorted.

"It's like a maze, maybe he'll just get lost somewhere." Draco looked hopeful.

Allegra turned to Montague. "What's the place called, Montague?"

"_La Bacchetta Magica_," he replied in an Italian accent. "It's on Calle del Pestrin, just off Piazza San Stefano."

"The Magic Wand?" said Davis. "What an inventive name."

The five of them followed Cawthrone over bridges and through alleys. Astoria couldn't stop looking around. The whole city was unlike anything she had ever seen before, breathtakingly beautiful and almost other-worldy. More than once she was distracted by the ornate masks staring at her through shop windows or the different boats drifting though the canals.

"Ah, here we are," Cawthrone beamed, breaking her out of her trance. They were standing in front of what looked like the oldest, most decrepit old building in the town. Paint was peeling everywhere, and half the window panes on the upper floors were either shattered or missing altogether.

"Well, this looks lovely," Cawthorne nodded.

"He's not going to survive this trip," Davis mumbled through gritted teeth. "I'll smother him in his sleep if that's the only way to shut him up."

"Sorry, Davis?" Cawthorne turned to him. "I didn't quite catch that."

"He agreed with you," smiled Allegra. "Let's go in shall we?"

They trooped in, Montague leading the group to the counter where a middle aged man sat reading a newspaper.

"Excuse me?"

The man sat up and after a second, smiled widely at them. "_Ciao_! Hello! I am Massimo! You must be Theseus Ogden?" He stood up and reached out for Montague's hand.

"Er, no, I'm not," said Montague looking confused.

"Oh!" Massimo looked appalled. "I am so sorry! I though that he was to come here first, Signore? To organise the rooms?"

"He was," said Montague, turning to the others. His confused frown turned into one of worry. "I'm sorry. It might be that there was some miscommunication."

"Sorry? My English is not very good."

"On the contrary, it's excellent. I'm sorry my Italian isn't at that level," remarked Montague politely. "Maybe he was busy. I have not spoken to him for sometime, something might have happened."

Massimo nodded sagely. "Oh, yes, yes. I will get you your rooms?"

"Yes, please."

A woman suddenly came in through the back door, speaking in rapid Italian before stopped short when she saw the group. She wore Muggle clothes, like Massimo, and has a apron tied around her waist.

"My wife," explained Massimo. "My dear wife Lucia. I have also a daughter, Seraphina, and sons, Matteo and Nico."

"Hello," smiled Lucia. "Welcome to our home."

"_Grazie_," smiled Astoria.

Lucia beamed.

"We have no other guests at the moment," said Massimo. He turned around and picked out a few sets of keys from a board behind him.

This didn't surprise anyone. They had originally intended to stay at another hotel on the other side of the city, but in light of the other murders, the Aurors had felt that it was better to change at the last moment. The hope was that even if the murderer knew they were in the country and had known where they would be, this would not be the case any longer. All the reservations had been cancelled to allow the team as much safety as possible.

But one thing was still nagging Astoria and from the looks on the faces around her, they too were worried. The plan was for Ogden to come first with an Auror and to make sure everything was in order before the others got here. The death of his grandson had severely shaken him up, but as the leader of the team, he refused to be anywhere else. He had never been late for anything in anyone's memory, and the fact that he wasn't here yet worried her.

She wasn't alone. Once Montague had distributed the keys and she and Allegra had made their way up to their room, her friend turned to her. "Where do you think Theseus is?"

"I don't know," she sighed. She sat on one of the twin beds heavily. "I'm worried. After what happened a week ago..."

"Yeah," Allegra agreed. "You don't think-"

Astoria shook her head. "I'm trying not to think anything."

"Me neither, but I can't help thinking the worst. Do you think the guys are worried? Or if they know anything?"

"If one of them knew anything, we wouldn't have left England," Astoria pointed out. "But as to whether they're worried or not, Malfoy certainly is."

"Maybe it's nothing. He might have just been delayed at the Ministry."

"True," she nodded. "I'm sure he's fine. It won't do to dwell on this anyway. Where did they say we were going for lunch?"

"A café in that square we passed on the way here," said Allegra, getting up and pulling her blonde hair back into a messy bun. "We'd better unpack now; I doubt we'll have much time after lunch."

"That's a fair point. Although I can't say I've been looking forward to finally meeting old Lorenzo."

Allegra grimaced as she pulled open her case. "Thank Merlin our things were brought in ahead of us." She turned to Astoria and nodded. "There are such evil people in the world. It doesn't bear thinking about sometimes."

"Well, we did survive You-Know-Who, didn't we?" Astoria pointed out.

Her friend nodded in agreement. "At least whoever it is hasn't resorted to killing the defenceless yet, although he seems to have started on the innocent."

There was silence for a few minutes as they unpacked their robes and Muggle clothing and put them away in the cupboards and drawers.

"What did you think about the list that was left?" asked Astoria after a few minutes.

"The list of our names? It disgusted me," said Allegra. "Whoever it is deserves to go to Azkaban. To kill a boy and then to taunt the people who were supposed to keep him safe, it's too despicable for words."

"He won't go to Azkaban."

"Pardon me?"

"Lorenzo Ricardi won't go to Azkaban. He's Venetian, an Italian by birth and they administer the Kiss for serious offences, without the benefit of appeal."

"Good," said Allegra after a moment. "I would rather he suffered a bit more, but I suppose this way is safer."

Astoria shrugged. "I don't know. I think it's a bit harsh to go straight to the Kiss. I'd rather see them rot."

"Mum didn't want me to come, you know," said Allegra. "She thought being half blood would make me a target. Dad disagreed. He thought as an Auror I'd be more than capable of looking after myself."

"And what do you think?"

She snorted softy. "I'm not sure. Many good Aurors have been hurt or died at the hands of more stupid wizards or witches. I'm not worried, per se, I just find myself relying far too much on Andrew to know what to do sometimes."

Astoria didn't know what to say. Allegra was worried, but then they all were, for different reasons. If this man, this lunatic, could kill a seventeen year old boy without a problem, then how safe were one's own family? What was there to stop him from going after Cadmus, Mother or, Merlin forbid, Thea and Selene? Her poor sister-in-law, who had already lost her husband and her niece, who had never known her father. And then there were the more likely targets: them. They were _all _in grave danger.

She didn't need to reply however, for they were interrupted by a loud, piercing scream from downstairs.

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**Thank you to everyone who reviewed Chapter 3! How about we strike a deal? Six reviews, and I'll put up chapter five. So, that's when the chapter count hits 15, okay? Thank you for taking the time to read this fic!**


	5. Chapter 5

**(A/N) This is really, really late. I know and I apologise. My only excuse is that applying to university is slowly but surely killing me. **

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The sound was deafening, terrifying. It pierced your soul in a way that you hadn't even imagined before. And it filled you with sheer horror. To Astoria, nothing compared to what she felt now, save maybe for seeing her brother's and father's bodies lying lifelessly on the ground some five years before.

"What was that?" Allegra was ashen. The women were paralysed for a moment, before springing into action simultaneously.

They grabbed their wands just as their door was flung open by a red-faced Andrew Davis, closely followed by Malfoy and Montague. "Gray, are you alright? And you, Greengrass?"

"Fine, it came from downstairs, let's move," Allegra said, indicating down the corridor. They sprinted down the corridor, wands at the ready.

"Wait, where's Cawthrone?" asked Astoria, slowing down slightly.

"He stayed downstairs to talk to Massimo," said Montague. They looked at him pointedly. "Crap. Do you think-?"

"Don't think," snarled Davis, annoyed at the halt. "Move!"

They thundered down the stairs in varying degrees of panic, before coming to a halt in the Reception area. A white-faced Edmund Cawthorne stared up at them with blank eyes.

"What's happened?" asked Davis guardedly. Truth be told, he didn't want to know the answer. And he was pretty damn sure that nobody else did either.

The Hit wizard was leaning against the wall looking rather ill. He sighed, sounding exhausted. "He knows where we are, alright," he muttered.

"Who?"

"Whoever it is committing these blasted murders." His eyes flashed in anger.

"What do you mean?" demanded Malfoy. "What has happened? Is the family alright?"

Cawthrone nodded. "They're fine. They're in the kitchen; turn left and it's the first door on your right."

"Right," said Davis, leading them into the back of the ramshackle house. A young boy was sitting on a seat outside the kitchen and jumped up when he saw them.

"There is a man there," he croaked slowly, struggling with the English. "_Assassinato_. Madre did not want me to see, so she closed the door."

Montague stepped around the boy and stormed inside. The kitchen was big and airy, and a beautiful young woman sat on the floor at the centre, her eyes wide and her hands clamped over her mouth. She was rocking gently and moaning. Lucia, who was sitting next to her, cradling her in her arms, jumped up when she saw them.

"Oh," she cried. "In the _credenza_." She pointed to a small cupboard, hidden from view when you stood at the door. Montague opened one of the doors and gasped when an arm fell onto the floor.

Theseus Ogden had been stuffed into the cupboard, eyes wide open in an expression of horror. A small tattoo had been sketched onto his forehead, a miniature snake hissing as it wound its way around a sword. In the hand that had dropped down, he clutched a small piece of paper loosely. Montage pulled it loose, hands shaking, and read the message: _What can I say? Warnings were not heeded_.

* * *

The rest of the day had been a complete riot. Kingsley Shacklebolt had arrived later on, looking thoroughly shaken up, followed by Lavender Brown for the _Daily Prophet_ and the Italian Ministry of Magic. Astoria and Malfoy had been left to deal with the Italian Ministry, who had insisted on only talking to them if Weasley could be used as a mediator, due to their families' backgrounds. Draco had lost it then and the next half hour had been used calming him down enough to make sure that he didn't get kicked out of the investigation. The two of them were under enough scrutiny as it was, without having to put up with headlines like: _'Reformed' Death Eater clashes with Ministry after murder._ That particular one had been published a few months ago.

He hadn't been annoyed that they were suspicious of him, he had admitted later over dinner. He had, after all been present when Dumbledore had been murdered, had been present in numerous Death Eater meetings, had been used as the Dark Lord's pawn and had participated in the Battle of Hogwarts. He hadn't exactly kept his head down and therefore, he understood their suspicions. He would have been suspicious of himself too, if he had been them.

He took offence, he said, at their blatant coolness towards her. The only one in her family who had done anything remotely Dark was her father, who was long gone. Her brother, although not the most social, had lain down his life for his family and had publicly resisted the Dark Lord.

But even that he understood, although he didn't reveal this to her. He understood that if there was even one 'bad apple', so to speak, in the family, then everyone fell under suspicion. It was a fact. To hold Astoria at a broomsticks' length was another matter entirely. She had been too young to be present at Hogwarts for the Battle and had spent it waiting at home. Not only that, but she hadn't even been Slytherin to begin with. No, Cadmus had asked him to protect her and that didn't simply include physical and verbal abuse. As much as she tried to hide it, Draco Malfoy knew that she was deeply hurt by the Italian Ministry's distrust.

* * *

It was dark when she woke up. She groaned. It had taken her hours to get to sleep in the first place, unable to forget the sight of the body. She looked at the time on her watch: three o'clock in the morning. Sleep wasn't an option anymore. She sat up in bed and dragged her palms over her face to help herself wake up. Sighing, she seeing her legs out of bed and felt around for her muslin robe. It was fairly warm, but under no circumstances was she going to walking around anywhere in her night gown. Slipping it on, she knocked her glass of water off her bedside table as she felt around blindly for her wand.

Allegra grunted at the noise, but didn't wake up. Astoria let out the breath she had been holding, she'd clean up the spill later; and grabbing her wand, she left the room quietly. The corridor was eerily quite, lit by the moonlight streaming in through the small balcony facing the canal at the back of the hotel. She tiptoed towards it, taking great care not to make the squeaky floorboards do so too loudly.

The view was breathtaking. The Muggle city had a mysterious, ethereal quality, so unlike the busy London she was used to. Lights twinkled, and voices whispered as they crossed the dark alleys and small bridges. The hotel had one if the best views; magic allowed it to be as tall as it liked, without being noticed by Muggles.

"What are you doing up so late? Or it just very, very early?"

She didn't even bother turning around. "I could ask you the same question, Malfoy."

She received a squawk in reply. Turning around, mildly surprised, she saw a vaguely amused Draco with a handsome owl perched on his arm.

"Oh, you're handsome," she sighed, reaching out to stroke his feathers. Draco had the audacity to wink at her. "So are you darling."

She ignored the comment. "Who are you owling at this time of night?"

"Theodore," he replied. He extended hi arm and raised it slightly. "Got that Hermes? Theodore Nott." With another blink at them, Hermes took to the air. Draco shuffled closer to Astoria, standing side by side on the balcony, without saying a word.

They stayed like that for a while, in silence. There wasn't really much to say in Astoria's mind. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. His head had lolled back, resting against the wall behind him. His eyes were closed, and his peaceful look was only disturbed by the frown lines between his eyebrows.

"Stop staring," he whispered, a corner of his lip twitching. Astoria went slightly red, thankful his eyes were still closed. "What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"This place. It's beautiful."

He opened his eyes now and looked down at the view. "It is," he said. "However, the secrets it holds are the terrifying ones." He raised his eyebrows and gave her a pointed look.

"There is someone out there who wants us dead, isn't there?" she asked him. He glanced at her to gauge her emotions. Who knew how to answer a question like that? Obviously a simple 'yes' would not do in this case.

"Not only that. Do you know of Sanguini?"

"Eldred Worple's pet vampire? Of course," she laughed shortly.

"He was from Venice. When he was a human, that is. He was turned some seventy years ago and went on a mad killing rampage before Worple found him in an alley raising a littler of orphaned kittens."

"Raising a littler of orphaned kittens?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Hmm," he nodded. "Apparently that's when the idea of keeping him as a pet first struck Worple."

She shook her head in disbelief. "The man's more insane than I thought."

"Yeah," he muttered. "Point is, my darling, you are now in the home of the vampires. And you have a _delicious_ looking neck." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

She blinked at him. "You are ridiculous."

He let out a bark of laughter and let her know she was easy to get a reaction out of. She grunted in response. They stood again in silence, and it struck Astoria how much she appreciated his presence there. He was no Cadmus or even Hyperion, although her eldest brother had never really been one for sibling bonding. Throughout her life, she had faced many changes. Her father's involvement in the Dark arts had meant that her home had faced constant upheaval; there had been times where they had to hide as a family from the Death Eaters, then from the Ministry. Then the Death Eaters again, followed by the Ministry. Throughout those times, the only constants had been her mother, her siblings and Draco Malfoy. Although he was annoying as hell, he was a constant in her life. And not only that, he knew when to press her for answers and when to simply leave her alone.

"Astoria?"

"Yes, Draco?"

He turned towards her very slightly. "Today, I," he broke off, frowning.

"Yes?" she pressed.

"Don't be. Worried, I mean. I know you worry about your family, but your brother is fully capable of taking care of them. As you are of taking care of yourself."

"How would you know?" she asked. "Everyone else here, Draco, they've seen battle, seen danger, seen death. In our family, we _hide_. We _don't_ fight and the only ones who do end up dead."

"_You_ will not." He frowned slightly.

She was surprised at the stubborn tone in his voice. Apparently, Malfoy had taken her brother's request to heart. To be completely honest, she understood her brother's point of view when it came to her protection, but she still didn't accept it. She wasn't, however, going to press the issue at four o'clock in the morning.

"I'm tired," she said.

He smiled slightly. "Then sleep, fool."

She sighed as her head rolled around, coming to rest on his shoulder. Draco raised his eyebrows but made no movement to stop her. So Astoria Greengrass closed her eyes and let the chaos of the day catch up with her. After all, she was safe for now.

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**Please review? I know I have no right to ask this, but I will, because I'm awful. Can we get the number of reviews up to 23?**


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N) Okay, so nothing much happens in this chapter, but it contains A LOT of information and back story (I apologise, but it was necessary). Some of it is very important, so of it... not so much. But enjoy! **

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The canal was in complete and utter darkness, so much so that the hooded figure on the small boat felt as though he was sailing on a stream of ink.

He had been careful and had drunk some Polyjuice Potion before he left, keeping the rest in a small hip flask. Nevertheless, the adrenaline currently pumping through his veins made him nervous and so he kept wondering whether he had taken enough? Were his features well camouflaged? Would he be recognised by anyone else?

A shuddering sensation told him that he had pulled up too close to the buildings on his right, but it was alright, his destination was the next house down. He steered the boat forward a few more feet, coming to a halt at a small jetty that had been hidden by vines. Mooring the boat, he stepped out and marched up to the door, knocking on it with three sharp raps. He heard footsteps on the other sides and the door opened slowly without revealing the person on the other side.

"Yes?"

"_Fidelis quod puto_," the man replied.

"I see," the voice replied after pausing shortly, sounding vaguely amused. "I didn't recognise you."

"The point was the nobody would," he said dryly.

The person on the other side of the door laughed lightly. "That is true." the door opened wider. "Come in, boy. We've been waiting for you."

The figure stepped into the hall of the house and took in sight of his old home.

"Welcome back."

"It's been twenty years," he said, looking around. "But nothing has changed."

"Well, that's what we are trying to achieve is it not? That nothing changes?" The man who had let him in raised his eyebrows. "How are things progressing?"

The hooded figure nodded. "We won't have to worry about Ogden any more."

The other man looked impressed. "Good work, my boy. That's one hindrance out of the way."

The hooded man shuffled slightly; a movement that the older one picked up on immediately. "What is it?"

"I may have been seen,"

"What?" his voice dropped dangerously.

"I am not sure. I think someone has their suspicions, that is all. Whether it was in this task or the previous one I cannot be sure, but I feel a change in attitude."

There was a sigh and a tut. "If it gets worse, they may have to be eliminated, you realise that?"

"Of course,"

"Well, that is an inconvenience."

"I will not let it go further than an inconvenience, sir," the younger man insisted. He felt uncomfortable under the sharp gaze that had been fixed upon him.

"See that you don't."

It was as much as warning as an order.

* * *

"Miss Greengrass and Mister Malfoy, I presume?" The jolly wizard invited them into his study, which was easily the most ostentatious one Astoria had ever been in. This was saying a lot, considering the homes of some of her parents' friends.

"You presume correctly. I presume we may sit down?" Draco snapped, tilting his head to the side in askance. Astoria started; she had never known Draco to be so harsh but then again, he would have never dared to speak like that to her. They had been asked to meet this man at his home, a small farmhouse on the mainland, at eight o'clock in the morning and needless to say, Draco Malfoy had not been entirely amused.

The short man eyeballed him for a few seconds before barking out a laugh. "By all means," he grinned, gesturing to the two seats at the desk in the centre of the room.

He introduced himself as Giovanni Galli, but they had known that already. He was the most eminent wizarding historian in mainland Europe and he specialised in the histories of old families.

"I have the information you asked for," he said, pulling out two rolls of parchment and handing one to each of them. "The Ricardis come from a Dark line; of this we can be sure. I think, to save time, I will tell you what happened to them."

Astoria nodded, and pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill. "That would be wonderful, thank you," she said. After offering them coffee, Galli began his account.

The Ricardis had been a power hungry family originating from the Netherlands. The Rijkaards, as they had been called then had traditionally been the advisers of Kings and, in particular, the Princes of Orange. As power shifted across Europe over the centuries they had followed it like a pack of blood hounds, changing their names to Rickaert, Ricquart and Richardson as the Holy Roman, French and British empires successively gained and lost power. In doing so, they forged familial links with the Wizarding aristocracy in each country; namely the Blacks, the Delacours, the Berliots and the Karkaroffs.

The past century had not been good to them. Their blood was the purest of all, but as people the Ricardis were cowardly, preferring to fight behind the scenes than to actively endanger themselves. As such, when Grindelwald had begun his reign of terror, they were the last family he had wanted to fight alongside him.

"But surely they would have been loyal to him," Astoria put in.

Galli shook his head. "No. That was the problem. Their blood was pure and they were rich enough to escape contempt for it, but at the time they were considered blood traitors."

Draco nodded. "My great grandmother was a Richardson," he told her. "Why did they change their names?"

"To escape persecution, the miserable little rats." The middle aged wizard huffed and glanced at Astoria over his spectacles. "They were cowards. Good for nothing," he spat.

Seeing Draco's jaw twitch and realising he was going to say something he'd regret in the near future, she decided to cut in. "What happened to cause this, Signore Galli? Why would a family that had kept their heads down and had earned the reputation of blood traitors suddenly seek revenge? It seems odd."

He sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose. "They might have kept their heads down, but they were a ruthless family. Loyalty is valued above everything in war, as you well know, and the Ricardis were not loyal, even to their own blood."

"Were?" Draco drawled, cocking an eyebrow.

"Were. The last man bearing the name Ricardi is now rotting in Azkaban, awaiting his trial. At the height of Grindelwald's power, there were two Ricardis left; Stefano and Andreas. The latter was murdered, but Stefano escaped and was married and had children; Lorenzo, his brother Lucian, Cassandra and Gianna."

"Murdered? By Grindelwald?"

Galli shook his head. "By Muggle soldiers, in what they call the Second World War." Turning around, he rifled through his bureau before pulling out press clippings from both Muggle and Wizarding newspapers. At the top of a pile were a photograph of two identical young men and a girl in her late teens holding a small toddler. "This is a photo of the Ricardis in 1975. Their mother died giving birth to the youngest, Gianna and their father did not live to see her first birthday."

Draco snatched the photo out of his hands and peered at it closely. Galli looked slightly affronted by his rudeness, but made no comment. "They were twins," said Draco, pointing out the two young men to Astoria.

"Yes," he responded. "They were identical in appearance, but from their birth, people knew that Lucian was," he struggled to find the words, "'not quite alright'. Well, that's how their father put it."

Astoria frowned, her quill pausing slightly above the parchment. "Excuse me, but what do you mean by 'not quite alright'?"

Galli sighed. "He was an odd boy. He was very easily manipulated and controlled by his twin and he was also prone to losing control of his magic if provoked. He passed away in his late twenties in a magical accident."

"And what became of the other children?" Draco asked.

Galli shook his head. "Luck has not been kind to the Ricardis. Cassandra disappeared soon after the photograph in your hands was taken, when the Muggles in the area began to blame the Ricardis for bad things happeneing to them. They'd stayed too long, you see."

"People started to notice that they were different."

"Precisely," he nodded. "The community is so small; people could pick up on tiny things that wizards elsewhere usually found easy to cover up. Although Cassandra and Lorenzo was a fine pair of wizards, they were young and controlling the magic of an erratic young man and a small child was proving to be far too difficult. I daresay Lucian's death came as a slight reprieve."

Draco frowned. "What do you mean by 'disappeared'?"

"She ran away, not a month after her brother's passing. She simply took a third of the family fortune, her rightful share, her clothes and personal belongings and left. Nobody has heard from her since."

"How old would she be now?"

"Late forties, early fifties."

Astoria scribbled this down. "And what about the other children, sir?"

"Lorenzo took over Gianna's guardianship totally and the little girl wanted for nothing. Some would have said that the hardships he faced had made him a better man. He was patient and loving with his sister, a true father-figure. He presented her to society when she was of age and she was sent to the Witches' Academy of Salerno to finish her magical education, which he himself had started. Gianna Ricardi had a much more stable childhood home than her siblings, even if it was rather unconventional."

"I thought they moved to England?"

Galli nodded. "Eventually they did. One mustn't forget that Muggles had played a part in both the death of Lorenzo's uncle, whom he idolised, and his own twin brother. He was angry, very much so and it was driving him to the very brink of destruction, but he realised that to retaliate would be less than futile. Italy's magical community is spread out thinly over the country and there was no one he could confide in. Besides, his sister was his very existence and he wouldn't have given up her safety and security for anything."

Once Lord Voldemort had come into power for the second time, in 1995; Gianna was in her twenties, and the idea of Lord Voldemort having followers over Europe who would be willing to help his cause consumed Ricardi. He moved them to Rome, where the pure-blooded community is a lot stronger, and there he wreaked havoc. By the end of the war however, the Ministry of Magic had gained complete control and Ricardi was exiled."

Draco nodded. "And the rest we know."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it, and thank you for reading (1000+ hits yay!) Please review (even if you have already, I just want to know what people think of my writing) and let me know your theories... :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Again, a late chapter. I apologise. Anyway, here's chapter 7, and it's dedicated to anyone who is reading, reviewing and alerting this story. **

* * *

They'd had a day off. Well, on paper they'd had a day off. Astoria had found herself dragging her heels behind Allegra as she danced and pranced her way from shop to shop. Apparently her mother's Muggle family were rather well off.

Astoria's family had never been hard put for money, but her friend's family seemed to be rolling in it. She would be the first to admit to not being the most girlish of witches, but Daphne was certainly up there with the best of them, and even _she_ would have baulked at paying the price of a racing broom for a simple pair of shoes. Nice though they were.

When they finally made their way to the _rendezvous _point for that day, a small pizzeria at the corner of a square, her feet were aching like the devil and she wasn't exactly amused. She was even less so when they entered the restaurant and found Montague and Cawthorne snapping at each other, the latter getting redder and redder by the minute. Scanning the room, they saw Malfoy and Davies sitting at a bar, sipping a pale yellow liquid out of a glass. Astoria walked up to the former and dropped onto to the stool beside him.

"Lemonade," he said, pouring her a glass out of a jug and sliding it to her.

She cocked an eyebrow. "Excuse you."

"No," he laughed. "It's a drink made with lemons. Try it."

She pulled it towards her and eyed it warily before taking a small sip, humming as she did so. She looked up at Malfoy and smiled at him. "It's nice."

"I have good taste," he shrugged.

Andrew Davies snorted. "Taste has nothing to do with it; it was the only thing he could recognise on the menu."

Allegra smiled. "Isn't it a Muggle drink? My grandmother used to make it fresh in the summer."

He looked at her sharply. "What's your point, Gray? Can't I know Muggle drinks?"

"Leave her alone, Malfoy." Davis snapped. "Don't be so bloody insecure, she didn't mean anything by it." Allegra flushed slightly and looked away.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments, punctured only by Montague and Cawthorne snapping at each other at the other side of the bar.

Taking another sip and trying to change the subject, Astoria nodded towards them. "What's going on?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Lovers' spat," he drawled, earning a snort of amusement from Davis.

"Draco, really," Astoria tutted. "What _is_ going on?"

It was Davis who answered. "Shacklebolt feels that we haven't been making enough progress, and that at the rate with which we are going, we'd be better off going home."

"Home?" she yelped. "We've barely been here!"

"It's almost been a week," Allegra conceded. "And we've essentially got nothing to go on."

"That's not true. Draco and I gained a lot of information."

"But that's all background information. We still have no clue as to who's committing all these murders, where they're going to strike next, _nothing_. We still haven't even come up with a motive, and without that, who knows what's going to happen next?"

Astoria sighed. "I see your point, I do. But we were due to meet Ricardi tomorrow and Merlin knows we had _enough_ problems setting that meeting up."

Davis shrugged. "That has been postponed, I'm afraid. Shacklebolt apparently wanted to pull us out immediately after Ogden's – passing. His stance is that we've been in danger long enough."

"What about them, then? What do they have to shout about if all this has already been decided?" She looked back towards the arguing pair. Cawthorne seemed to on the verge of imploding, and something about the sight made her feel very uneasy indeed.

Malfoy huffed in annoyance. "Shacklebolt hasn't actually decided anything; he's given us his_ recommendation_," he drawled. "The actual decision lies with Montague as the acting head of the investigation and _he's _decided to pull out."

"And evidently, Cawthorne disagrees," said Davis.

"Evidently," Astoria said. "What now, then? Is the investigation continuing?"

Malfoy nodded. "It is. Well, for you, me and the two Hit Wizards, anyway," he said, his mouth twisting into a snarl. "Davis and Gray are still on, but part time. Apparently there's been an issue with some French wizard who's started to get a bit out of hand and they've requested the help of our Aurors."

"What's the problem then? If the investigation is going on then surely," Astoria began, but Davis cut her off.

"Cawthorne wants to stay _here_, in Venice. He feels that there is more to be gained by staying here than by working out of an office at the Ministry."

Allegra looked at them pointedly. "Well, he's probably right,"

Davis shrugged. "That may be, but the idiot's being so dramatic."

"Oh, hush," admonished Allegra. "You've never liked him."

* * *

"They've never liked him, have they?" she said later on, when the two of them were up their room, packing.

"Hmm?"

"Davis and Malfoy. They don't like Edmund Cawthorne at all. He can be a bit idiotic, and well, _vapid_ sometimes, but when they seem to have such a personal vendetta against him, it does get a bit difficult to separate that from what's _really _going on, doesn't it?"

Astoria shrugged, throwing a bottle of _Sofia Tugwood's Sensationale Soap_ into her suitcase. "I don't know, Allegra. They've never liked him, that's evident; but you saw Cawthorne at that restaurant, didn't you?"

Allegra frowned, looking up at her. "Yes?"

She sat down cross legged on her bed next to the suitcase. "Well, have you ever seen him so angered by anything? There's something going on, I'm sure of it. Otherwise he wouldn't have been getting so upset about leaving."

"You mean to say-?" Allegra's eyes widened almost comically.

Astoria shook her head. "No, I don't mean to say anything. I don't even know what I'm talking about really. I just felt strange in that restaurant, you know?"

Allerga smirked. "Are you sure those mushrooms on that pizza of yours hadn't gone off?"

She laughed. "No, no. No, that's not what I meant. I just feel as if there was something I should have picked up on."

"Everybody leaves a trace, you just have to know where to look," said Allegra, with an air of finality that made her sound as though she was quoting someone. Astoria cocked an eyebrow. "Proudfoot made us repeat that over and over again, and it stuck. I guess that was supposed to be point," she smiled.

Astoria flopped back onto her bed. "I can't believe we're leaving tomorrow, it makes everything feel so redundant." She continued angrily, "and I can't believe the absolute _nerve _of them cancelling our meeting with Ricardi."

"I doubt he'd be much of a help, honestly. No-one's managed to get a coherent word out of him for months. At least you get to carry on. I'm being shipped off to France," Allegra groaned. "I can't even _speak_ French."

"It's going to be awful going back home to Mother," Allegra groaned. "She'll start trying to get me hitched off to some wrinkly old wizard." Her friend laughed. "It's not funny. She's already started picking and choosing my children's names."

"She means well," said Allegra.

"Yes, well, it's rather annoying."

"She must be happy that you're coming home?"

Astoria rolled her eyes. "That's an understatement. She started screeching through the Floo; Draco almost wet himself, he was laughing so hard."

Allegra fixed her with pointed look. "_Draco_, huh?"

She suddenly felt rather warm. "Yes, Draco." When her friend raised her eyebrows, she said, "What?"

Allegra smiled. "Nothing, nothing."

Astoria felt a sudden urge to punch something.

* * *

_Ugh_. Portkeying always made her feel so nauseous. Really, she was twenty-one years of age, and yet here she was, spread-eagled on the ground at the Ministry like a Hogwarts first year. A hand, followed by and arm extended itself over her face.

"Come on, get up."

She grabbed hold of it and pulled herself up, stumbling.

Malfoy laughed. "You have never managed to get used to this, have you?"

"What does it look like?" She glared at him, dusting herself off. "This is why people should Apparate or fly everywhere. Portkeying is a ridiculous method of transportation."

"That's a true case of sour grapes, right there," laughed Allegra. They turned to her, frowning in confusion. "Oh, come on. Sour grapes? The fox and the grapes?"

"Grapes? What grapes?" Malfoy frowned.

"Aesop?" Allegra asked. "You _must_ have heard of Aesop." She groaned at the blank looks around her. "Oh, never mind,"

"Astoria? _Astoria_!" _Oh, for Merlin's sake_. She groaned as her mother ran towards and threw her arms around her. "Oh, my darling girl, I'm so glad you're _safe_." Her mother pressed her palms to her cheeks and tilted her head in different directions, as though checking to make sure that all parts of her daughter were there and accounted for.

"Hello, mother," she said, trying to ignore Allegra and Davis' sniggering in the background.

"_Oh_," her mother cried again, hugging her.

"Mother, this isn't appropriate. We are in the Ministry, which is my _workplace," _she groaned.

Her mother pulled away reluctantly. "Of course, I'm sorry dear. I should have shown more decorum." Smiling fondly at her youngest child, she noticed Malfoy smirked over her shoulder. "_Draco_!" Pushing her daughter out of the way, she beamed at the young wizard. "How are you, dear?"

"Wonderful, Mrs Greengrass. And I hope you've been keeping well."

She sighed happily. "I have, thank you Draco. You're such a nice boy to be asking after me." She turned to Astoria and looked at her pointedly. "Isn't he such a _nice_ boy, Astoria?"

_Home sweet home_.

* * *

**I received an anonymous review yesterday, in which whoever it was guessed the identity of the murderer. So, just to make things interesting, I've started a poll on my profile. even if you don't feel like reviewing for whatever reason (although PLEASE do), check it out, cos I'd love to know: a) that people are actually reading this and b) what their thoughts are. **

**Thanks for reading! **


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